When the band "Badfinger" is not the band "Badfinger"
Written: Aug 08 '04 (Updated Aug 09 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: None.
Cons: Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland singing lead on hits he didn't originally sing lead on.
The Bottom Line: Though the album says the songs are by Badfinger, they are actually new recordings by Badfinger guitarist Joey Molland recording as "Badfinger."
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| Don_Krider's Full Review: Badfinger by Badfinger |
Back in the early 1970's, the British power pop band Badfinger performed some of the best Top 20 singles ever heard on U. S. pop radio between 1970 and 1975, produced by pop legends like Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Todd Rundgren.
Guitarist/singer/songwriter Pete Ham had a beautiful voice on hits like "No Matter What" ("...no matter what you are, I will always be with you..."), "Day After Day" ("...looking out from my lonely room, day after day...") and "Baby Blue" ("...this special love I have for you, my Baby Blue...").
Bassist Tom Evans sang lead on the band's cover of Paul McCartney's "Come And Get It," from the film "The Magic Christian."
Ham and Evans together wrote a little tune called "Without You" ("...can't live, if living means without you...") which became a Top 10 hit for both Harry Nilsson and for Mariah Carey.
Ham and Evans then committed suicide: Ham in 1975 by hanging, followed by Evans in 1983, also by hanging. Tragic end for some talented singer-songwriters.
"Badfinger," as a band, continued on-and-off for many years after Ham's death in 1975. In more recent years, the band became "Joey Molland's Badfinger," though promoters continued to bill gigs by the band as "Badfinger" with radio spots featuring tracks recorded by the original band.
The new "Badfinger":
"Joey Molland's Badfinger" is led by guitarist Joey Molland from the original recording band, a fine musician, songwriter and performer. That said, his vocal range doesn't match Ham or Evans. The other musicians, if any, aren't identified on this CD.
I saw his band in 1993 in Indiana. They were pleasant and entertaining --- after all, who else performs these songs? Joey Molland met fans like me after the show and was very friendly. A very pleasant gentleman, Joey Molland.
Still, I would never have expected Joey to try to do new recordings of the original songs as "Badfinger."
This CD:
"Badfinger," the CD from the Eclipse Music Group, does have a small disclaimer on the back cover to let you know that "all selections are new recordings by Joey Molland."
Problem is, that disclaimer is tiny and nowhere else on the album (certainly not on the front cover, which features a picture of Joey Molland (and only Joey), however). The average music buyer seeing a $5.99 list CD with 10 "Badfinger" tracks might think that they're buying the original recordings.
The performances:
Joey Molland sings lead on all 10 tracks here, but his voice seems strained and off-key. His voice lacks the sweet, naive emotion conveyed by Pete Ham originally on tunes like "Baby Blue," "No Matter What" and "Day After Day."
Molland's Badfinger sounds awful, especially on the intro, on "No Matter What," with none of the delicate guitar playing found on the original 1970 recording.
They don't do badly in their cover of McCartney's "Come And Get It," and are far more interesting on tunes Molland wrote himself like "Suitcase" and "Sweet Tuesday Morning."
However, the album is such a downer that it might be best to use the CD as drink coaster in the future. I played it, somehow, a few times to see if it might grow on me, but I hated the CD more with each additional audio attack on my ear drums and it won't be played again.
The CD booklet is 2-pages, one page features a picture of Joey Molland and the other page is blank.
Recommendation:
Forget "Badfinger" by Joey Molland's Badfinger. I can't even recommend it as something to add in order to complete a collection.
Instead, get the original recordings on the CD "The Very Best Of Badfinger" on Capitol Records. My review of that album at http://www.epinions.com/content_106012380804 contains a detailed history of the original band, if you're interested.
Recommended:
No
Great Music to Play While: Going to Sleep
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Epinions.com ID:
Don_Krider
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 in Music, Electronics, Musical Instruments |
 - Top 200 |
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Member: Don Krider
Location: USA
Reviews written: 301
Trusted by: 1004 members
About Me:
Fan of power pop (Raspberries, Badfinger, Cheap Trick, The Knack, Romantics, Slade,Sweet...) --- "Play On"!!!
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